Raul Rosas Jr. Issues Statement Regarding Last-Minute Exit from UFC Mexico

Raul Rosas Jr. recently detailed the illness that forced him out of his UFC Mexico booking against Ricky Turcios last Saturday.

The 19-year-old Mexican-American prospect, who is the youngest fighter on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, was slated to appear in front of a home crowd on the main card against Turcios. However, the bantamweight booking fell through at the very last minutem with Rosas Jr. pulling out right before the walkout.

It was announced on the broadcast that Rosas Jr. fell ill and was unable to show up for the fight despite trying his best to be ready throughout the day. “El Nino Problema” has now issued a statement reiterating the same, also detailing the symptoms of his illness while not pinning down the exact cause.

“Sorry to everyone who was waiting for my performance,” he wrote on Instagram stories. “I was sick all day with dizziness, light headed [and] cough. I tried my best to recover to go out and perform still and couldn’t. Got wrapped, warmed up, did everything I could to shake it off but felt like s—t. If [you know]me [you know I] wouldn’t pull out just [because]. I hated making that decision, but I had to do it. If you want to make another story in your head that’s cool. I’ll be back soon [though]. God bless you all.”

Rosas Jr. is coming off a Round 1 technical knockout win over Terrence Mitchell this past September. Meanwhile, Turcios, 30, last fought in November 2022, edging out a split decision victory over Kevin Natividad.

While it was initially announced that the booking would be rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 238 on March 2, Turcios countered the report, and the fight is now seemingly off.